01-005 Inclement Weather Policy_20211-005
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ADMINISTRATION
Policy #: 1 -005 Inclement Weather Policy
Approval Date: January 25, 2021
Approval Authority: Council, Resolution # 2021-045
Effective Date: January 25, 2021
Next Scheduled Review Year: 2025
Department: Human Resources
Last reviewed: 2021
Revision Date/s:
Schedules:
POLICY STATEMENT
The safety of all employees and residents is a priority of the Town of Tillsonburg. The
Town recognizes that inclement weather may make it difficult for employees to safety
get to and from work, and is committed to maintaining a consistent policy for employees
who may be impacted.
PURPOSE
Town offices and facilities at all locations shall be open during regular working hours
unless inclement weather is so severe that, in the opinion of the Chief Administrative
Officer (CAO), or his/her designate, any of the offices or facilities should be closed.
Closure of a Town facility due to inclement weather shall be deemed to mean that the
business activity for that facility shall cease and staff shall be permitted to vacate his/her
workstation. It is understood that not all Town facilities or services may be affected by
the same inclement weather event.
SCOPE
This policy applies to all Town of Tillsonburg employees, unless they are performing an
essential duty at the time of the severe weather.
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PROCEDURE
1. Full Time Employees
a) All employees shall make every reasonable effort, consistent with personal
safety, to report to work
b) If inclement weather makes it difficult for an employee to arrive at their
workplace, the employee must notify their supervisor within a half hour of
their start time or as soon as possible thereafter to report their absence. The
employee may request to use their vacation time, time in lieu, or unpaid time.
c) When employees are at their workplace and the weather becomes severe, an
employee is required to notify their Supervisor that they will be leaving early.
The employee may use their vacation time, time in lieu, or unpaid time.
d) An employee who was scheduled to be off on vacation, personal time, lieu
time, unpaid leave or other is not entitled to equivalent time off or pay at a
later date
2. Part Time Employees
a) All employees shall make every reasonable effort, consistent with personal
safety, to report to work.
b) If inclement weather makes it difficult for an employee to arrive at their
workplace, the employee must notify their supervisor within a half hour of
their start time or as soon as possible thereafter to report their absence. As a
part time employee these hours will not be paid.
c) When employees are at their workplace and the weather becomes severe, an
employee is required to notify their Supervisor that they will be leaving early.
The employee will not be paid for remaining hours they were scheduled to
work.
d) An employee who was scheduled to be off on vacation, personal time, lieu
time, unpaid leave or other is not entitled to equivalent time off or pay at a
later date
Responsibility:
1. The Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) is responsible for making the decision to
close the Town facilities/offices due to inclement weather.
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2. Management is responsible for:
a) Approving employee’s time, whether time is to be made up or if work can be
completed at home, taken as vacation, lieu, banked or unpaid time;
b) Ensuring employee’s time is appropriately recorded in Dayforce.
3. Employees are responsible for:
a) Advising Management within an appropriate timeframe of lateness or
absence from work due to inclement weather;
b) Obtaining Management prior approval when leaving work early due to
inclement weather;
c) Obtaining Management approval to either make time up, take vacation, lieu,
banked or unpaid time.
Note: Every effort will be undertaken to perform the work at home if possible.
Closure of Town Facilities/Offices
1. Concerns over employee, customer, and public safety will be paramount in the
decision to close any Town facilities or offices.
2. The decision to close Town facilities or offices will be made by the CAO or designate
and will be made in consideration of:
a) Storm severity
b) Travel warnings
c) Weather reports from Environment Canada
d) Road conditions for the Town of Tillsonburg and surrounding area
e) Accessibility of Town facilities – parking lots, sidewalks, driveways
f) School and other business and service closures
3. If the CAO decides to close Town facilities/offices, the CAO will authorize an e-mail
to all employees and direct that notification be posted on the Town of Tillsonburg
website. Management will be responsible for notifying all affected employees.
4. If the CAO decides to close the Town facilities/office prior to the start of the workday,
employees will not be required to attend work unless their work is deemed an
essential service (including but not limited to: fire communications, water/wastewater
and public works for road/sidewalk safety). Employees will be paid as if they had
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come to work and if an employee is able to work from home then every effort will be
made to do so.
5. If the CAO decides to close the Town facilities/offices during the workday,
employees will be sent home and will receive full wages for the balance of that day.
If an employee is able to work from home then every effort will be made to do so.
6. Employees who were unable to report to work, arrived late, or left prior to the
closure will be required to make up or otherwise account for their time up to the time
of the closure and will receive full wages for the balance of that day.
7. Employees who are not scheduled to work at that time or on that day, who are
already on an approved vacation, lieu, or banked time, or any other approved time
off are not entitled to equivalent time off at a later date.